In-Wall Water Supply Enclosures.
The use of plastic and metal water supply enclosures has become widespread in the home construction and remodeling business in recent years. Their main purpose has been to supply hot/cold water and a drain to washing machines while providing these items in a low profile enclosure recessed into or flush with the wall behind the appliance. Various attempts have been made to address issues that arise when installing the enclosure into the wall space.
Plastic.
Enclosures manufactured from plastic have become the most popular in recent years due to their low initial cost made possible by injection molded manufacturing.
The limitations of the injection molded enclosures pose many problems during installation and use. The semi-rigid plastics from which the enclosures are manufactured, while corrosion resistance, are relatively fragile. The delicacy with which they have to be installed, without breaking, will challenge even the most experienced plumber. The mounting tabs have a tendency to crack when struck by the hammer driving nails, or from driving screws with a screw gun into the structural wall framing. The plastic enclosures have a tendency to distort from the stresses applied to them from the plumbing lines; both supply and drain, during installation. Heat from the act of soldering the supply line into the enclosure fittings can lead to extreme distortion of the enclosure, if not actual melting of the plastic.
The above mentioned distortion can also lead to an issue with the ability of the trim bezel to properly mate to the enclosure. As a general rule, the plastic trim bezel mounts to the enclosure by means of notched serrations on the interior of the enclosure. If the enclosure is distorted in any way, the trim bezel will not align properly with the enclosure and will not provide a suitable/attractive appearance.
Metal Enclosure.
A solution the structural inadequacies of die injected plastic enclosures is a metal enclosure.
Metal enclosures have solved the problems of insufficient rigidity during installation; they will not distort in shape due to pressures applied by direct installation, attachment of supply and drain lines or installation of wall material. These enclosures allow the trim bezel to be attached to the enclosure by means of screws that pass through the trim bezel and thread in to the enclosure, allowing for a tighter and cleaner fit to the finished wall.
One of the problems metal enclosures present are extensive costs in fabrication. Brake formed and welded enclosures are labor intensive.
The material from which the enclosure is manufactured has also been a point of serious concern. Enclosures manufactured from cold rolled steel, painted, powder coated or galvanized are still manufactured from steel. Steel in the best environment will still corrode; rust is the material specific term. Any failure of the coating will expose the base steel to moisture, leading to the degradation of the base metal, which will lead to a leak in to the hidden wall area behind and below the enclosure.
One issue that current plastic and metal enclosures have in common is the lack of a means to ensure that any leaks from faulty hoses, hose washers, or valve failure will be directed into the drain connection as opposed to leaking into the wall area behind or below the enclosure. Any such leakage in the wall area will eventually lead to mildew, mold and structural damage, all of which have an extremely high repair cost, not to mention potential issues of liability.
As the enclosure is mounted within a stud bay of a wall and is typically at least partially hidden behind the washing machine or dryer within the laundry room, any leakage may go undetected for an extended period of time. As a majority of the previously designed enclosures had no reservoir in the bottom of the enclosure to collect and direct any leakage into the drain line, or had supply lines entering the bottom of the enclosure, relying on rubber gaskets to seal the bottom of the enclosure, the present invention solves such problems by using an enclosure with an integral reservoir and supply lines entering the enclosure from the side, well above the top lip of the reservoir.
An example of the hidden damages that can accumulate after an extended period of time can be told by a fellow contractor's account. The enclosure that failed was a metal model. The means of fabrication were brake forming and spot welds to hold general shape. The finish of this particular cold rolled steel box was a white powder-coat to inhibit rust and provide an attractive end product. The water supply lines entered from the bottom of the enclosure using gaskets to seal the entrance and drain points.
The contractor purchased an existing home in southeast Tennessee. The previous owner moved out two months prior to the contractor's move in date. During those two months, the moisture in the wall space and flooring had an opportunity to dry out. The contractor's family took occupancy in October and starting doing laundry for a family of five. By the following spring, they began to detect buckling of the flooring and degradation of the wall board. Upon removal of the washer and dryer from the laundry room, they found massive mildew, mold and structural damage to the home. The damage found required replacement or repair of the ring joist, eight wall studs, five floor joists, 128 square feet of drywall, 150 square feet of sub-flooring, 200 square feet of flooring material, 200 square feet of sub-floor insulation, and painting the new drywall.
All damage discovered was linked to a faulty cold water valve which leaked inside the enclosure. The leak, which was small enough to stay undetected, remained inside the wall space where the metal enclosure was installed. The water from the leak had made its escape past the enclosure three different ways. First, was the water simply rolled forward in the enclosure behind the trim ring. There was no lip or ridge to contain water in the bottom of the enclosure. Second, the water passed through the corners of the side and bottom of the enclosure. The corners that were joined in the fabrication of the enclosure were only spot welded after being braked. Third, after an extended period of time, the water penetrated around the gaskets in the holes provided for the hot and cold water inlets which also caused corrosion to the powder-coated finish. If this metal enclosure had been capable of collecting a leak of that size and directing that water to the drain, the damage would have been limited to the failure of the cold water valve which is where the whole incident started. The cold water valve could have been replaced the next time the washing machine was pulled out and the enclosure was inspected.
The only other known product on the market available to replace this faulty metal enclosure, at that time, was a plastic enclosure. When purchasing the plastic enclosure the contractor realized immediately that there was nothing different in the design of this enclosure that would prevent water from running into the wall space. A leaking valve again could easily run over the front opening of the enclosure or penetrate around one of the valves coming through the bottom of the enclosure, creating the same damage he had just repaired. The ease of installation was also questionable. One of the mounting brackets broke as he screwed the bracket to the wall. That led to twisting of the enclosure as he mounted the other bracket. Even though he accurately measured and mounted the enclosure, the notched finish bezel would not click into the enclosure to provide a tight fit to the wall, which required the use of silicone to fill the gap between the wall and the trim bezel.
Health Hazards.
The area behind a washer and dryer is a perfect environment for mildew and mold to grow. Water from a leak that's within a dark wall space and heated by the exhaust of nearby dryers only accelerate the environments potential for mold and mildew to flourish. The degree of health concern associated with mold depends on the length of exposure, degree of exposure, and an individual's sensitivity to molds. In individuals who are sensitive to molds, common health concerns include hay fever-like allergic symptoms—eye irritation (burning, watery, redness), nose or throat irritation (sneezing fits, nasal stuffiness, bloody noses; dry, hacking cough), respiratory problems (wheezing, asthma attacks, difficulty breathing), headaches, and skin rashes—as well as fungal infections in those with immune suppression or pre-existing lung disease. A few people in homes with mold have developed pulmonary hemorrhage (bleeding in the lungs) or memory loss, but these cases are rare and the link to mold as the cause of these health problems has not been fully proven. Individuals most at risk for health problems due to inhaling mold spores are infants and children, pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems, individuals with existing respiratory conditions, individuals with allergies, and the elderly.
Accordingly there has been a long felt need to provide an in-wall water supply enclosure that is easy to install, durable during installation and duration of use, and that provides a leak proof reservoir enabling the enclosure to capture leaks from within the structure. All of these needs would need to be met while still providing a low-cost means of fabrication.